Brig. Gen. Dedewan Khurshid Tofiq said on Tuesday that a bridge, taken the day before and leading to southeastern Mosul, could facilitate a troop buildup along an eastern Mosul front. Tofiq says the bridge needs to be repaired first.

Iraqi forces and the Kurdish troops are seeking to encircle Mosul, which has been under ISIS control for more than two years. It's the last major ISIS urban stronghold in Iraq.

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